1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a construction in which a seat back can be tilted forward in a vehicle (for example, a car). In particular, the present invention relates to a structure that releases a lock of a locking mechanism that regulates the forward tilt.
2. Description of Related Art
Among seat backs (for example, rear seat backs) having a rear side at which a luggage compartment (trunk) is provided, there is a seat back in which the rear seat back can be tilted forward. For example, a piece of luggage (for example, skis), which has a size larger than a luggage compartment formed at a rear portion of vehicle body, can be provided in the luggage compartment by forward tilt of the rear seat back. In order to ensure safety, in a normal condition (that is, a condition in which the seat back is raised), the structure for forward tilt of the rear seat back is locked by a locking mechanism, so that the rear seat back cannot be tilted forward, and the rear seat back can be tilted forward by a lock release operation.
For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 11-348626 has proposed a construction in which the lock release operation can be performed from both a luggage compartment side and a vehicle interior side. In this construction, the rear seat back can be tilted forward by the lock release operation from both the luggage compartment side and the vehicle interior side.
The construction, in which the lock release operation can be performed from both the luggage compartment side and the vehicle interior side, is highly convenient. However, users may perceive that this construction is undesirable from the viewpoint of security. That is, for example, when a user gives a key to a parking attendant at a parking lot, if a rear seat back can be easily tilted forward, access from a vehicle interior side to a luggage compartment side can be easily performed, and a user may be anxious about such a situation. For example, when someone breaks into a vehicle, a lock release operation is performed from the vehicle interior side, a piece of luggage in a luggage compartment side may be stolen. Therefore, a construction is desired in which a lock release of the forward tilt mechanism of the rear seat back can be also performed from the vehicle interior side and the lock release of forward tilt mechanism from the vehicle interior side can be prevented by appropriately setting by user (that is, the lock release can be allowed only from the luggage compartment side by appropriately setting by user).
In the construction proposed by Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 11-348626, lock release can be performed from the vehicle interior side, and the forward tilt of the rear seat back can be performed, so that the above requirements cannot be satisfied. In order to satisfy the above requirements, when the lock release is performed from the luggage compartment side, an operation using a password or a key may be necessary. However, this construction is complicated, the cost is thereby increased, and the operability is deteriorated (the lock release operation is troublesome).